Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Leeds means that there's still a chance that the Hammers can stay up if they better the North Londoners' results over the final 180 minutes of the season, even though the Lilywhites remain in the box seat and two points ahead, at this point.
Awful season for the Hammers
It's going to be a tall order to go away to Newcastle and get all three points and then have to do the same in the final match of the season against Leeds, but that, arguably, is what Nuno Espirito Santo and his squad have to aim for to give themselves the best possible chance of avoiding the drop.
Regardless, it's been an awful season for the team in claret and blue, and it's therefore no wonder that Liverpool, Newcastle and Everton are discussing the possibilities of signing Hammers captain, Jarrod Bowen, even if the East Londoners stay up at Spurs' expense.
For some while now, Liverpool are believed to have been considering Bowen as a possible replacement for Mo Salah, whilst Newcastle enter the picture if Anthony Gordon is sold this summer, and the David Moyes connection also gives Everton hope of being successful with any potential bid.
Bowen, who may yet be on the plane to the United States with England this summer, will need to carefully reassess his options at the end of the current campaign.
Bowen to go even if West Ham stay up?
At 29 years of age, dropping down to the Championship, even for one season, would do him no favours whatsoever.
Given the turmoil at West Ham of late, too, Bowen may reluctantly decide that the time is right to move on to pastures new.
Whoever signs him would be getting a player who has almost single-handedly led the fight at times for the Hammers. There's rarely, if ever, a game in which he doesn't give 100% and leads from the front.
With 84 goals and 57 assists since signing for the club, as well as 307 chances created - over 100 more than any of his teammates - his importance to the East Londoners has never been in doubt.
Not to mention his 1,026 ball recoveries, which have only been surpassed by Declan Rice (1,402) and Tomas Soucek (1,098) since Bowen signed for the club.
Coincidentally, Rice and Soucek are the only two players who have surpassed Bowen's 292 attempted tackles, too, which speaks volumes for how much work the winger gets through in every game.
Fernandes to follow Bowen out the door?
No one player is bigger than the club, of course, but West Ham would be much poorer if their current captain decided to move on.
He wouldn't necessarily be the only departure this summer, either, particularly if the Hammers do actually go down.
Mateus Fernandes has been another success story for the club, and at just 21 years of age, he clearly has a bright future ahead of him.
The Portuguese midfielder cost the East Londoners £38m plus add-ons, but it's understood that West Ham would want an astonishing £84m if they were forced to cash in.
United and City looking at the 21-year-old
One can't help but speculate that they'd get nowhere close to such a figure if the player and his representatives made it clear that staying at the club was of little interest to them.
Both Man Utd and Man City are reported to be looking at the player, the former needing a replacement for Casemiro, and the latter needing to explore the possibilities with Bernardo Silva moving on, and Rodri still not having ruled out a switch to Real Madrid.
Clearly, both clubs would represent an upgrade for Fernandes, with respect, so what would they be getting for their £84m (or otherwise)?
Three goals and three assists in 34 Premier League games wouldn't appear to be fantastic on paper, but it's his level of commitment which has endeared him to the East London faithful and earned him seven yellow cards in the process.
Stunning figures in 2025/26
Simply put, he isn't fazed by any opponent and has been happy to go toe-to-toe with them across the season.
His 97 tackles attempted in the league this season are 50 more than his nearest teammate (Bowen, 47), and a success rate of 63% is right up there with the most successful tacklers at the club.
His 33 interceptions are only bettered by Konstantinos Mavropanos (45) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (39), whilst he's second to Bowen in terms of duels attempted (342 to 402).
Importantly, his 55.85% duel success is far better than Bowen's 43.53%, whilst his 1,447 attempted passes, of which 1,264 were successful, are the best output in the team in both instances.
An 87.35% pass completion isn't the best in the side, though, when one takes into account that those with a higher percentage have actually played at least 600 fewer passes than Fernandes, it's something of an anomaly.
With 34 chances created, too, he only has Bowen, again, ahead of him, so there's little argument as to his importance either.
Losing their two best players might actually be something from which West Ham takes more than a season in the English second tier to recover from.
If that's not enough to see every player giving their absolute maximum in their final two matches, the Irons have far bigger problems than everyone realises.
